Some medical situations require rapid delivery of a medication to a person to avoid death or serious injury. For example, if a person is exposed to a chemical warfare agent, such as sarin gas, the person may require the administration of an antidote such as atropine within a very short period of time. Similarly, for someone having a bee-sting allergy, epinephrine must be administered soon after a bee sting occurs. Other such medical conditions or events that may require urgent attention can include episodes caused by food allergies or epileptic attacks. Often, there is not enough time to transport the afflicted person to a care facility or even to bring a medical professional to the person.
As a result, people required to be in zones in which chemical warfare is a possibility, such as soldiers, and people who are known to have medical conditions such as allergic reactions to substances or events such as bee stings or foods are encouraged to carry self-injector devices that permit the quick delivery of a needed medication. These devices are typically about five inches long, cylindrical, and resemble a large pen or magic marker. The user holds one end of the self-injector on an injection site (e.g., the thigh of a leg) and a predetermined amount of medication is automatically injected. One such device is sold under the trade name EPIPEN.
Use of these devices presents a number of drawbacks, however. The user is required to know both how to operate the device and when to operate the device. Improper operation may result in little or no medication actually injected and improper timing may result in injection occurring too late. Furthermore, the user must be conscious and capable of performing the self-injection. Because some chemical agents and allergic reactions cause seizures, the user may be incapable of performing the self-injection due to seizing before the person even realizes that an attack or allergen exposure has occurred. A need therefore exists for a system and method to deliver antidotes and other medication even if or when a user is incapable of doing so.